New tank set up with 4 cichlids and 1 pleco, tank looked great for 2 days then it turned milky like, it is a 60 gallon. The temp is holding strong at 80 and the cichlids are swimming along fine but the tank itself it upsetting to look at. How long does it take to cycle?

The tank should be cycled without any fish in it. The cycle process is very hard on the fish. It could take up to six weeks to cycle but since you have fish in it, it may go a bit quicker, maybe three or four weeks. Make sure you watch the water parameters ( ammonia, nitrite, etc.) because these will go crazy during the cycling process. I would do 10 percent water changes every other day to every three days to make sure your levels do not get too high. You may want to do a 25 percent water change now to help with the cloudiness.

so, could this be the reason my KH level is too low then? What number would u recommend it to be at, so far all the other readings are great just the KH is too low, what can raise it? Also shouls I add aquarium salt if so how much? BTW nice to meet you Looking forward to being a long time member here.

What type of cichlids do you have? Any cichlid tank should have aquarium salt. Most people use one teaspoon of salt for every ten gallons. Make sure you read the label to make sure. If you have africans, you can buy special additives that will increase your KH and add a bunch of essential minerals to the water.

I have 4 south american cichlids, they are in a 60 gallon tank, was also wondering should I add more or is this enuf for this size? I have had many yrs of shebunkins and gold fish and others but this is my first cichlid tank. I have never encountered cloudy tank syndrome ever and all my fish live for yrs so Im pretty freaked out lol

1 convict, 1 white jellybean, 1 green terror and 1 unknown plus a pleco. I was wondering if adding salt would help the cichlids as once in a while they scrub on the ornaments, but with a common pleco I know it would not be adviseable. Im keeping an eye on them for signs of ick.

Do you plan on upgrading your tank? If not, I wouldn't add any more fish. Once your fish get bigger, your tank will be pretty full. Make sure you really over filter the tank and watch for signs of aggression.

When you say they scrub on the ornaments, do you mean they are flicking themselves off of them? If so, check your ph levels. I think at this point, your best bet is to do a 30 percent water change and see how everything reacts.

I have salt added in every one of my tanks that have a pleco and have never had any problems. You should be fine adding salt.

aww thanx for the fast reply! Did a 30 percent water change, gees that tank is deep lol, need longer arms. I was wondering if I should add mates for them, that would equal 8 cichlids in a 60 gallon plus a pleco. So far they seem to tolerate eachother, a bit of what I call yelling at the one from our one cichlid, her mouth looks like shes shouting at the one chasing her, Im assuming she is a she. She is bigger than the convict (one chasing her) and she has no nips on her so something is working for now.

You def do not want mates. If any of them pair up and breed, they will fight like crazy with the others and you'll probably end up with dead fish. Plus that would be way too many fish. If you have a common pleco, he alone could reach 15inches or more. The convict that I have was given to me because he became aggressive and wiped out all the other fish in a 55 gal tank. Just because it is working now, does not mean it will work in the future so always keep an eye on them.